| CINCINNATI (Aug. 9, 2021) – Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open. A two-time tournament champion, Djokovic won last year’s staging of the event that took place in New York. A 20-time Major champion, the World No. 1 Djokovic has won the first three Grand Slam events this season. In announcing the withdrawal, Djokovic posted this message on social media: “Dear fans, I wanted to share with you that I am taking a bit longer to recover and recuperate after quite a taxing journey from Australia to Tokyo. Sadly, that means I won’t be ready to compete in Cincinnati this year so I’ll turn my focus and attention to US Open and spend some more time with family. See you in New York soon!” Five former men’s champions remain entered in the Western & Southern Open, including two-time champion Andy Murray (2011, 2008) along with Daniil Medvedev (2019), Grigor Dimitrov (2017), Marin Cilic (2016) and Rafael Nadal (2013). The women’s field will also feature five past champions, including two-time winners Serena Williams (2015, 2014) and Victoria Azarenka (2020, 2013) as well as Madison Keys (2019), Garbine Muguruza (2017) and Karolina Pliskova (2016). The entry lists for 2021 Western & Southern Open can be found here. The Western & Southern Open will be held Aug. 14-22. The main draw will be released on the evening of Friday, Aug. 13. Qualifying action takes place this weekend, Aug. 14-15. Men’s main draw action gets underway Sunday, Aug. 15, with a full day of men’s and women’s main draw play scheduled for Monday, Aug. 16. The full schedule is available here. All tickets, including full series, mini-plans, single session and hospitality packages, are now on sale and information about available tickets can be found here. The Western & Southern Open, an ATP Masters 1000 and a WTA 1000, is part of the US Open Series and is held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. |
